Vanessa Jennings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings
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Jennings in her earth lodge, 1989
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Vanessa Paukeigope Santos
October 5, 1952 Gila River Indian Community, Arizona, U.S.
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| Known for | Beadwork, cradleboards, clothing, regalia, dolls |
| Style | Southern Plains |
| Spouse(s) | Carl Jennings (2nd husband, 1993–present) |
| Awards | National Heritage Fellowship (1989) |
Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings, born on October 5, 1952, is a talented artist from Oklahoma. She is known for creating beautiful traditional items like clothing, beadwork, and special baby carriers called cradleboards. Vanessa is part of the Kiowa, Ná'ishą Apache, and Gila River Pima tribes.
Contents
Early Life and Family Roots
Vanessa Jennings was born in the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona. However, she grew up in Oklahoma. Her father was Clifford Santos from the Gila River Pima tribe. Her mother, LaQuinta Mopope, was Kiowa and worked as a nurse.
Vanessa is the oldest granddaughter of Kiowa Six artist Stephen Mopope. Her grandmother, Jeanette Berry Mopope, taught her many things. Vanessa learned Kiowa songs, crafts, manners, and language from her. These traditions are a very important part of her artwork. She started doing beadwork when she was 11 years old. Before that, she watched and helped her grandmother for several years.
Growing up in Lawton, Oklahoma, Vanessa sometimes faced teasing. This was because she wore traditional leggings and braids. She did not try to hide her Native American heritage.
After finishing high school and college in Oklahoma, she worked for a while. Later, she moved to land that belonged to her grandmother in Red Stone, Oklahoma. Vanessa and her first husband built an earth lodge there. This lodge is a special place for the Kiowa people. She uses it as her art studio. She also lets the tribe use it for cultural events.
Another big influence in Vanessa's life is the O-Ho-Mah Lodge Society. This is a Kiowa war dance group. Her family has been involved with it for many generations. Her grandfather Stephen, his father George, and Vanessa's sons Gabriel and Seth have all sung at the Society's ceremonies.
Vanessa's Artistic Journey
Vanessa Jennings used to make art in her free time. But in the early 1980s, she got a special request. The Museum of International Folk Art asked her to make a traditional Kiowa child's dress. This dress had to use traditional beadwork on rawhide. Vanessa says this request was the start of her professional art career. She became a well-known traditional Southern Plains artist.
Jennings is famous for making many traditional Kiowa items. These include cradleboards, saddles, moccasins, and beadwork. She also designs men's and women's clothing. But she says cradleboards are her favorite. Her work has been shown in many special exhibits. Kiowa leaders have also asked her to create special clothing for important rituals. Sometimes, she has worked other jobs in Anadarko, Oklahoma. This helped her earn money to support her art.
Vanessa also believes it is important to teach her skills to others. She teaches young people how to make traditional items. She also shows her art to bigger audiences at museums and cultural centers.
Even though she has won many awards, Vanessa is humble. She says, "I've never considered myself an artist. I have always told everyone that I'm a simple, traditional woman." She adds, "I do my grandmother's work. I do my great-grandmother's work. This is what they used to do. They are the ones who should be honored." Besides making finished pieces, she is one of the few artists who prepares her own animal hides. She uses a method called brain-tanning.
In 1992, Vanessa made a smaller copy of a famous "Tepee With Battle Pictures." This was for an exhibit at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The original tepee was made in 1845. It celebrated a peace agreement between the Kiowa and Cheyenne tribes. It was given as a gift to Little Bluff, a main Kiowa chief. This tepee was very important culturally. Vanessa is a great-great-great-granddaughter of Little Bluff II. For her copy, she used her family's history to show military stories. Kiowa tradition says only men can draw such images. So, Vanessa taught her son Seth to draw the battle pictures on the tepee.
In 1995, Vanessa helped organize an exhibit called "Four Generations." It showed the work of eight Kiowa artists from her family. It started with her grandfather Stephen Mopope. This exhibit showed a continuous line of artistic tradition.
One of Vanessa's cradleboards was part of a national traveling exhibit. This exhibit was called "Gifts of Pride and Love." It showed 38 cradleboards from different Native American tribes. The exhibit also highlighted female artists. Women artists have often been overlooked in histories that focus on male warriors. The exhibit started in December 1999 at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It traveled to many places, including the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.. Vanessa wrote a chapter in the exhibit's book called "Why I Make Cradles."
Vanessa's art has also been shown at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It has also been displayed at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Her work has even been seen in England and Scotland.
As of 2017, many believe she is the last active Kiowa cradleboard maker in the Southern Plains. She is also a founding member of Artists for the Traditional Arts. This group is part of the National Council for the Traditional Arts.
Awards and Special Honors
Vanessa Jennings has received many awards for her amazing artwork.
- In 1987, at the first Red Earth Festival, she won prizes. These were for her antelope headdress and a mountain lion bow case.
- In 1989, she received a National Heritage Fellowship. This award is from the National Endowment for the Arts. It is the highest honor for folk and traditional arts in the United States. This honor also means she is recognized as a Living National Treasure.
- In 1992, she won the Red Earth Festival President's Award.
- In 1996, Vanessa and her art were honored at a special seminar. It was called "Powerful Expressions: Art of Plains Indian Women." The main speaker noted that "the way Vanessa lives epitomizes the best kinds of values and virtues of Plains Indian women."
- In 2004, she was named the Honored One by the Red Earth Festival. This is the highest honor an artist can receive from the festival.
- She has won many awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market. These include wins in 1997, 2003, 2010, and 2016.
- She has also won awards at the Great Plains Indian Rendezvous.
Personal Life
Vanessa Jennings lives in Red Stone, near Fort Cobb, Oklahoma. She has three children from her first marriage. Her parents passed away in the 1950s. Because of this, she could not follow the Kiowa tradition of grandparents raising grandchildren. So, Vanessa raised her three children by herself. She married Carl Jennings in 1993. As of 2004, she had four grandchildren. She also raised her sister's eight children after her sister passed away.
Two of Vanessa's children are also traditional artists. Gabriel Morgan is a ledger artist. He also makes pipes and plays the flute. Seth Morgan is also a ledger artist and pipe maker. He also works with beads, makes bows and arrows, and writes poetry.
